Archer relishing PGA Cup debut

REPRESENTING Great Britain and Ireland at this year’s PGA Cup will be viewed as a career highlight for Phillip Archer. The 45-year-old has competed on some of the biggest golfing stages, having played in both the US Open and the Open Championship.

He has also finished runner-up on the European Tour on no fewer than four occasions.

But Warrington-born Archer, attached to Birchwood Golf Club, knows all about the prestige that comes with playing against USA in the PGA Cup and admits selection for this year’s event at Foxhills in September had been on his priority list.

“It’s a high for me and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Archer (picture Patrick Bolger/Getty Images), who has three Challenge Tour titles to his name.

“Two years ago I came off tour and tried to make this a target, to get into the PGA Cup team so it’s my first time of trying and I got in so I’m very much looking forward to it.

“I loved my time out on the European Tour. I got close to winning a few times but when I switched back to the PGA my ultimate aim was to try to represent your country at the PGA Cup.”

Archer qualified for the GB & Ireland team after finishing third in the Tit

leist & Footjoy PGA Professional Championship at Luttrellstown Castle at the beginning of June.

He will form a ten-strong team led at Foxhills Resort in Surrey by Scotsman Albert MacKenzie.

“I met Albert in the play-offs for the first time back in October in Saunton and we got on straight away,” Archer added.

“I said I was gunning to try to get into his team and he was very welcoming when I did that. It’s great to get in and hopefully I can do him proud.”

Experience is a word that has been used to describe MacKenzie’s GB & Ireland team this time around.

Archer is one of eight players in the team to have experienced life on the Europ

ean Tour and he has also got a taste of team events, having won the Seve Trophy competition in 2007.

He feels they have a good chance of winning the event on home soil for the first time since 2005.

He added: “Looking at the team we have a lot of experience. “We have a few ex-tour players in there so with got a lot of experience with the players that we’ve got and hopefully I can add a little bit to that.

“I’ve met a lot of the team already. A good friend of mine, Gary Houston, got in and I rate very highly.

“Rob Coles, Matthew Cort, Greig Hutcheon, I know them all from playing ag